Rich Elliott: On this day at least, 'Stewie' finds her game

Updated 12:32 pm, Monday, March 11, 2013

HARTFORD -- This was the type of performance that freshman Breanna Stewart has wanted for months. It was one that UConn coach Geno Auriemma wanted. So have the rest of the Huskies, for that matter.

Stewart joined the program as one of the most heralded recruits in Auriemma's 28-year tenure. She was supposed to be the key ingredient to a national championship run. And over the first 10 games she was everything she was supposed to be, setting a team freshman record with 169 points.

But from that point on Stewart became a mystery. She would be a showstopper one game and then an absolute dud the next. It was puzzling how a player with such an immense ceiling could be so inconsistent.

It is not uncommon for freshmen to suffer through stretches of inconsistency. But for a span of 20 games? For a versatile athlete that is 6-foot-4, long and can score from the perimeter and in the paint?

Stewart said that she noticed a change last week in practice. She was making decisions. She was being aggressive. And this change resulted in another high-level performance in Sunday's 94-61 win over DePaul in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament -- a game-high 21 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes.

"I just changed my mindset I guess," Stewart said. "I feel practice has been different for me, and, obviously, I wanted practice to be that way during the other four months of the season. But I've really tried to refocus myself and just go as hard as I can in practice because I know something has to show on the court if I do that in practice.''

Stewart entered the game for the first time with 15:32 remaining in the first half. She made a 3-pointer 57 seconds later. She would also score on a driving lay-up in the half that she triggered with a shot-fake.

In the second half, Stewart scored 16 points (7-of-8 FG) in 14 minutes. She simplified her game, effectively utilizing her seemingly limitless ability to score in many ways.

"It's very important for her to come in and play as well as she did," sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis said. "It's about time. It's the time where good players play great. And she did that (Sunday). She played like we know how she can play, the way we've been expecting her to play ever since she came here. So I'm glad she did it and she needs to build on it."

The 21 points for Stewart were the third most by a UConn freshman in their postseason debut. Stefanie Dolson had 24 in 2011. Diana Taurasi had 22 in 2001.

It was the first time Stewart had scored at least 20 points since generating 20 against Syracuse Jan 19.

"For her to just come now and finally have it clicking that's great," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "Better late than never, and especially right now is when we really need it from her."

Auriemma joked afterward that Stewart is accustomed to playing USA Basketball where they play "eight or nine games and then you go back home."

In all seriousness, Auriemma has always been an advocate of practicing well. Players who practice well generally perform well in games. Stewart was a perfect example of this against DePaul. She got in the gym early last week. She spent extra time working with UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey. And that was only the beginning.

"There must have been eight or nine times in the last three days when somebody missed a shot and she was at the rim for a tip-in," Auriemma said.

"It didn't always go in, but that's something that almost never happened because she was wondering around. There were a couple plays that she made that the only way she could make them would be if she was thinking ahead a little bit. And that never happened. For most of the season she was thinking behind."

The collective hope is that Stewart has finally found her way and will continue to shine this week in the Big East tournament and the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Huskies are markedly better when she performs at the level she played Sunday.

"Has Stewie finally found it? I don't know," Auriemma said. "You asked me that a little while back and it turned out she was only borrowing it and gave it back. So has she found it? I do know that there was a different look about her in practice the last three days then there was at any other time in the last three months. That I do know. So I want to build on that."